Archives: July 2013

I keep reading that I should limit my ADHD son's sugar consumption. I make sure that he doesn't get a lot of the sweet stuff, and he seems a little calmer. Do you have low-sugar snack suggestions?

Sugar is a problem for many children with ADHD. When limiting sugar in meals and snacks, think about the nutritional components of the food that contains the sugar, not just the number of grams of sugar in it. For instance, the sugar in a sweet potato will have a much less negative effect than the sugar in a soda, because the potato's sugar will be absorbed...
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I have a difficult time in the car when my ADHD husband is driving. He is a distracted driver, and I don't feel safe. When I say something, he gets angry, which makes it worse. Help!

The best time to talk about this problem is not when you are in the car! Approach him with your concerns, rather than a comment about his bad driving, so you don't make him defensive. State your problem (or fears) and suggest some solutions. Perhaps you need to share the driving on long trips, or agree on a reasonable driving speed when your husband is behind...
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I have trouble making decisions, because, thanks to my impulsivity, I've made bad ones in the past. So now I freeze when I'm asked to make the simplest decision. How can I overcome this?

You are not alone on this one. As adults, we can all recall making mistakes by impulsive decisions. Yet we rarely give ourselves credit for the decisions that have produced good results. We need to do that more.
For everyday decisions, try using the mantra, "What is the healthiest choice I can make right now for myself and anyone who might be affected by my decision?" For...
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Many individuals with ADHD have executive function difficulties. One aspect of these is a poor sense of time and time management. If this is the case, working with an ADHD coach may help you develop strategies to manage time better.
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I am a 32-year-old adult who was diagnosed with ADHD eight years ago. I can manage some of my symptoms at work through medication, but I still have uncontrolled anger outside of work. Help!

Your problem with anger control is separate from your ADHD, and should be addressed on its own. Your first step is to work with a mental health professional to understand your anger problem. Once it is understood, efforts can be started to manage it. One thing to explore is why you can manage anger at work but not outside of it. Behavioral therapy approaches are often...
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My 10-year-old son has been diagnosed with ADHD and depression. Will his ADHD medication help him manage depression, or does he need an additional med?

If his depression results from frustration with school or social and family difficulties, his ADHD medication should reduce these challenges and lessen his depression. However, if he has ADHD and clinical depression, it might be necessary to treat each separately.
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Most of the reliable scientific information about ADHD comes from pharmaceutical companies. How can we change this?

Anyone who works in the field of integrative medicine is aware of the disparity in research funds for pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical therapies. Unless a non-pharmaceutical company is going to make a big profit from the study on its product, it is hard to get them to fund research.
I have two suggestions for ADDitude readers:
> First, write to one of the large companies that make natural products...
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My husband's family doesn't acknowledge his ADHD, and they don't take him seriously. How should we handle this?

I'm glad that you said "we" and understand that the two of you are in this together. His family should be educated about the ins and outs of ADHD, to understand how it affects your husband's behavior. They should know that he can't control his distractibility, poor planning, or inability to remember things.
If your husband's family believes that ADHD is not real, a talk with your...
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